


Twilight of Victory

by dcninja



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Episode: s03e18-21 Sozin's Comet, Found Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Aang/Katara, Minor Sokka/Suki, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-08-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:48:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 20,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24787240
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dcninja/pseuds/dcninja
Summary: The Gaang separated in order to beat Ozai and the Fire Nation once and for all. But getting back to each other turns out to be a battle of its own.
Relationships: Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Katara & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 184





	1. Sokka - After the Battle

**Author's Note:**

> I am strictly a non-fiction writer so this is more of a writing exercise. 
> 
> One thing glossed over in the show is how far everyone is from each other in their own battles to end the war. Even today with instantaneous communication there is often hours or sometimes days where it's unclear what has happened when a regime change occurs. This is my take on what that may have looked like within the ATLA universe.

Limping off the airship with the help of Suki, Sokka’s heart felt light as he saw Fire Lord Ozai at Aang’s feet. They did it. They won.

Aang’s clothes were in tatters but he looked happy enough with Momo on his shoulder. But as the others joked about the now defeated Fire Lord, he finally noticed who was missing. “Where’s Katara?” he asked with more than a hint of panic in his voice.

Sokka handwaved the question. “Don’t worry Aang. She’s with Zuko back in the Fire Nation. Someone had to take care of Azula.”

Aang nodded, though he looked a little hurt.

Toph nudged the arm of the prone Ozai. “What should we do with him now?”

“We should get back to the Fire Nation,” said Suki. “Katara and Zuko may need our help.”

Sokka looked down at his broken leg and rubbed his forehead. There was the sound of reality crashing down on their short-lived parade. “Yeah, but without knowing what happened to Azula...” He had faith that Zuko and Katara could beat Azula – well, at least that Katara could – but if not then delivering Ozai back to a newly crowned Azula would take their victory away, bending or no bending. “Plus what are we going to do with all those guys?” he said, motioning to the shore where the crews the downed airships were gathered.

“The White Lotus then,” said Toph. “We’ll let them deal with it.”

“The what now?” asked Aang.

Sokka sighed. “While you were out making friends with a lion turtle, we tracked down Zuko’s uncle who happens to be part of some super-secret international society for old guys called the White Lotus. Your friend King Bumi is with them too. They are supposed to be taking back Ba Sing Se right now.”

“Bumi?”

“Yeah. Him, Master Pakku, Piandao, who else.... oh, Jeong Jeong. Some others too.”

Aang shook his head at the new information. “Okay then Sokka and Suki should take Ozai to Ba Sing Se while Toph and I can go to the Fire Nation to help out Zuko,” amended Aang. “The sooner we get there the better.”

“Except we only have one working airship Twinkle Toes.”

“And I’m not so sure we should leave all these Fire Nation soldiers just sitting here,” said Suki gently.

The group continued to debate their next steps. Sokka looked around at the desolate landscape, towering rocks marred by fire and the consequences of Aang and Ozai’s battle. They had one airship, one defeated Fire Lord, probably a couple hundred Fire Nation soldiers, and no idea of what had happened in either Ba Sing Se or the Fire Nation palace. Sokka’s leg throbbed and Aang looked exhausted. Toph was trying to act like her usual unaffected self and Suki was still joking around but stress was still evident in their voices. After the multiple near-death experiences they all had on the airships and now stuck in the middle of nowhere, a little stress was understandable.

He shuttered at that thought. Even though the unnatural glow from the comet was gone from the sky, the day was long from finished. And after waiting so long for this day to come, everyone just needed it to be finally over.

Sokka was the plans guy, but they had no plan. Why hadn’t they thought of a way to contact the others before they split up?

Trying to put as much authority as he could in his voice, Sokka offered the only thing he could think of. “Fine, me and Aang will take him to Ba Sing Se. The White Lotus may have more information about what is going on in the Fire Nation anyway. Toph and Suki will stay here to guard the soldiers until we figure out where to take them. And from there.... Well from there we’ll figure it out.”


	2. Katara - Waiting for News

Katara tried to focus on the task in front of her but her mind kept wandering to the locked door twenty feet away. Zuko was passed out in his old bedroom in the Fire Palace. He was in better shape than Aang had been after his battle with Azula, meaning he was still alive but that was about it. From what she could tell, Zuko managed to redirect some of Azula’s lightning when he stepped in front of it – _in front of her_ – but not all of it. Under the water glowing in her hands, she could feel his heartbeat, a bit weak and unsteady but unquestionably there and getting stronger. More concerning to her were the small muscle tremors throughout his body, as though the lightning was still working its way through. She didn’t know if it was still damaging his body. All she could do is try to alleviate the pain and heal the weaknesses she found as she ran the glowing water over his body yet again.

Katara spent months thinking of how this day would pass. Best case scenarios, worst case scenarios and everything in between. Somehow reality managed to outdo her imagination. Because here she was, locked in a room in the Fire Nation palace with a badly injured Zuko and no idea what was happening beyond these four walls.

Already the previous hours seemed to be the longest of her life. She and Zuko watched from the courtyard as the unnatural light from the comet faded from the horizon. It was finally over. Except, it wasn’t. The Fire Sages, who Katara learned watched the Agni Kai from the safety of the palace, declared Zuko the rightful winner but that was all they did. Since declaring himself the “Phoenix King,” (“Of course he did,” muttered Zuko at this piece of news) Ozai still outranked the Fire Lord and Zuko was still wanted for treason. Without knowing Ozai’s fate, the Sages refused to take further action. That meant they didn’t call for Zuko’s immediate arrest, but it also meant that he couldn’t be declared regent in the wake of Azula’s defeat and send out orders to recall the Fire Nation troops. Even if he wasn’t so badly injured, he also couldn’t leave without risking his claim on the throne and Katara couldn’t leave him alone. They were stuck until they learned what had happened with Ozai and the others.

The one concession they managed from the Sages was Zuko’s demand to have Azula detained. Katara suspected their willingness to go along with this had more to do with the fact that the princess was clearly not fit to be seen by the public than any real concern about the outcome of the Agni Kai and who would rightfully take the throne. Once she stopped spewing blue fire at everything around her, she had taken to muttering incoherently while staring unseeingly at the sky, occasionally laughing at something no one else could see. She didn’t even fight when the Sages rounded up some guards to unchain her from the grate and lead her away.

For so long, Azula seemed like a larger than life figure to Katara, a much bigger monster than Zuko had even been when he was still hunting them across the world. They watched silently as the guards dragged her away and for the first time Katara saw her as the young girl she still was, who was in fact the same age as her. An uneasiness rose in her heart, but Katara pushed it away; her heart was already too full with worry and fear for the others to allow any more in.

With nothing else to do but wait, she hoisted Zuko up and took as much as his weight on her shoulders as she could while he directed her through the Fire Palace to his old room. Katara had never been there before but she couldn’t help notice how empty the place was. It turned out that was a bit of a blessing. Although she had made it through her short battle with Azula unscathed, the same could not be said for their walk through the palace. She took a ceramic plate to the head from an overzealous servant, leading to a massive headache and nasty cut above her eyebrow. Zuko grunted as Katara unceremoniously dropped him on the ground from the surprise of the attack. The servant’s eyes went wide on the two figured before her – an injured banished prince and a foreign water tribe girl - before she made a small squeaking noise and disappeared down the service corridor, still holding the a shard of the broken plate.

They surprised a guard around another corner, who jumped two feet in the air before blasting a fire fist at them. Katara got Zuko out of the way by dropping him, again, and unhooked her waterskin to send back a water whip that knocked the guard out. Still, she could feel the small burn on her right shoulder where the fire singed away her sleeve. Sighing heavily, she picked up Zuko and the two continued to hobble down yet another huge hallway.

Keeping water ready on her right hand while hoisting Zuko around the waist with her left, no one else challenged them. The few other guards they came across took one look at the two of them before turning around to pretend they hadn’t been seen. It was a bit ridiculous and of course no one offered to help. This irritated Katara to no end but she also understood it. Her and Zuko were not the only ones waiting to hear about their fate; with no clear leader to pledge allegiance to, the palace staff had no allegiances at all.

This was not something she planned for. In all her scenarios about what could happen on this day, she always saw it in terms of winning or losing. That there could be a twilight between the two never occurred to her.

 _But we won_ , she told herself as she helped Zuko onto the bed. _Everything will be fine. We won._

 _Did we?_ asked another voice in her head.

 _Shut up_ , she told the voice.

Unfortunately she only had the running monologue in her head to talk to. After telling her she should send a messenger hawk to Ba Sing Se, Zuko promptly passed out. Katara was impressed he made it as far as he did. She gave him another quick healing session before taking care of her own wounds. The cut above her eye and burn on her arm healed easily, but the blood was still sticky in her hair and her tunic was ruined. Still now did not seem like the time to take the bath her body longed for.

After making sure Zuko was stable, she ducked out in the hall to try and find someone to send a hawk to Ba Sing Se like he asked. Just as with their trip there, the halls were mostly empty and the few people she could find just ignored her and walked the other way. The one guard she did catch up to stopped only long enough to eye her from head to toe before sneering and telling her she was out of line to make any demands.

Her back straightened in indignation. “I’m asking at the request of Prince Zuko, who will be the new Fire Lord in the next few days.”

The guard just snorted. “Whatever you say. But I think the Phoenix King has other ideas in store for our _Prince Zuko_.”

After that, it seemed at best useless to try, and at worse asking for more trouble until word of Ozai’s defeat came through. They would just have to hope that Ba Sing Se tried to contact them.

_And that the Fire Sages side with us if Ozai is defeated._

Lost in her own darkening thoughts, Katara got lost a few times walking back to the room. Stopping at an empty bedroom, her gaze fell on the full wardrobe in the corner. Zuko’s room had been stripped of any personal effects since his last stay. Looking around she made a quick decision and started to grab every vase and water tub she could carry, along with a few robes for her and Zuko. Hauling it all back to Zuko’s bedroom, she quickly locked the door and started to fill every tub with water from the adjoining washroom and placed them around the room. Pulling a small sofa closer to the bed, she turned it so she could monitor Zuko and watch the door at the same time.

They hadn’t won, not yet. And until they knew for sure that the others had defeated Ozai, that Ba Sing Se had been recaptured, that the Avatar was still alive and victorious, then she and Zuko were still just two outlaws stuck in the most hostile territory of all.


	3. Aang - Back to Ba Sing Se

It took two hours to get to Ba Sing Se. Aang thought they may have been the longest two hours of his life. The near silence of the trip really didn’t help.

Sokka stood on the deck, steering the airship towards Ba Sing Se. He didn’t say much the entire trip, which was very unlike him but Aang figured his leg had to be hurting badly by now. Suki had managed to wrap it in a splint before they left Wulong but Aang could see he was still trying to keep all his weight on his good leg while balancing in front of the wheel.

And despite the few times Sokka boasted Katara could take Azula alone, so her and Zuko together shouldn’t have had any trouble, Aang could tell he was worried too. As a group they never liked splitting up and they just did it again with leaving Toph and Suki behind. It was necessary, but it still sucked.

For his part Aang tried to stand still as well, but mostly failed. He was exhausted, and part of him felt like he should just fall down and sleep for another hundred years. But he also knew that even if he tried, sleep would not come. The longer he got from his battle with Ozai, the more his nerves were put on edge.

He had never been happier than when he saw Sokka, Toph and Suki walk out of the airship, mostly unharmed. But as soon as it was clear that no one knew what had come of Katara and Zuko, a heavy feeling descended into his gut that he couldn’t shake. No one believed he could take down Ozai without killing him; even the former avatars he consulted all told him that killing Ozai was the right path towards balance. Now that he had found a way to defeat him without killing, Aang wondered whether there was an invisible cost for doing so.

This was all he could think of as he anxiously paced the deck. In the corner lay Ozai, bound with rock cuffs and chained to the wall, courtesy of Toph. He hadn’t said a thing since they loaded him onboard. His quiet was unnerving Aang almost as much as Sokka’s was.

“Aang, I can see the outer wall!”

Aang rushed up to the window next to Sokka. Even in the darkened night he could see the outer wall of Ba Sing Se rise ahead of them. Beyond that it was impossible to tell who controlled the city as everything seemed calm.

“Um, Aang? We are flying a Fire Nation ship with Fire Nation soldiers down below. Can you do something to let them know not to fire on us?”

“Sure. Do you have my glider?”

“Uh, the one packed on Appa with Zuko and Katara? Can’t you do some glowy thing instead?”

Aang frowned and hunched his shoulders but headed towards the midship gangway without another word.

He wanted his glider. Better yet, he wanted Appa. And a very soft bed. But more than anything he wanted to see that Katara was alive and well with his own eyes.

Aang focused on that as he pushed the earth beneath him to propel him towards the outer wall. To get to Katara they needed to get to Ba Sing Se. First the outer wall, then the palace. Then probably another nerve-wracking trip on the airship. But it would all bring him closer to Katara, so he would take it step by step.

Using an airball to ascend the wall, Aang landed amongst the guards while in the avatar state. Several guards jumped back, but a familiar voice sounded from his left.

“Young avatar, do you have news of Ozai?”

Aang turned and dropped the glow from his eyes. “Jeong Jeong?” he asked incredulously.

The man smiled and gave a slight bow. “Indeed. It has been a long time.”

“We have Ozai on that ship,” said Aang, gesturing in the general direction of Sokka and the ship. “Does the Fire Nation still control Ba Sing Se?”

“No, the Order of the White Lotus has taken control of the entire city in the name of the Earth Kingdom.” Jeong Jeong then frowned. “What do you mean you have Ozai?”

Aang sighed though he admitted to himself that he should probably get used to explaining to people that while he did defeat Ozai, the former Fire Lord was still around. “I took away his bending so he is no longer a threat to anyone. We have him restrained in the ship along with a few dozen Fire Nation soldiers, and there are even more back at the Wulong Forest. We want to turn him over to the Earth King, or somebody...besides us I mean...and get back to the Fire Nation. Unless Katara and Zuko are here?”

The old man raised one eyebrow at this explanation but didn’t comment on Ozai’s fate. “They are not. If you go to the palace, you may be able to find more information.”

Going into the avatar state again, Aang raised himself up in the air to point towards the palace. He hoped the glowing tattoos would be enough for Sokka to see in the dark. The airship seemed to slightly adjust course as it neared the wall. Aang airbended onto the gangway as it headed towards the palace.

One step done. Now time for another.


	4. Iroh - A Partial Reunion

Standing outside the Earth Kingdom palace, General Iroh took in a large breath of air before exhaling slowly. Below him Ba Sing Se was calm, far calmer than he had imagined during all those days he laid siege to the city’s walls. Since he was a boy he knew this was his destiny, but like usual destiny had a strange way of actually coming to pass.

Of course there was still no word about what had happened to his brother or how his nephew fared against Azula. But Iroh felt in his bones that the passing of this comet brought with it a new world, a better world, than the last time it graced the sky. As though the spirits wished to reward his faith, a Fire Nation airship started to land in a nearby garden with the Avatar standing on the gangplank.

Iroh rushed to the garden as the airship continued to come down. The landing was not the smoothest, and several statues paid the price (much to the horror of the Earth Kingdom guards watching nearby). As the Avatar walked forward to meet Iroh and the guards he noticed his tattered clothing and the extensive bruising on his young body. His expression and posture were resolute but his eyes looked anxious.

“General Iroh, we have Ozai detained inside the ship. Is there any news on Katara and Zuko?”

Iroh raised his eyebrows at the Avatar’s directness. “I’m sorry Avatar Aang but there is no word. Would you care to fill us in on what has happened?” He saw Sokka limp up behind Aang with the help of a crutch, the Avatar’s lemur on his shoulder. “Or perhaps it would be best if you two visited a healer before we get caught up.”

“I’m sorry Iroh but we really need to find out what happened in the Fire Nation,” said Aang.

“And we need to send people to the Wulong Forest,” added Sokka. “There are a couple hundred Fire Nation soldiers stranded there. We left Toph and Suki behind to guard them, but we need to get them back.”

Iroh looked over the two teens. “Very well. Let’s go inside and catch up on the day’s events so far so we can all make a plan.”

Aang nodded curtly as Iroh sent a few guards to watch over Ozai inside the ship before following him inside the palace, with Sokka limping behind.

Coming to a large meeting room, Iroh sent guards to summon the other members of the White Lotus inside the palace as well as the few Earth Kingdom nobles that showed up after the city fell and two Earth Kingdom generals they found imprisoned within the city walls. Despite Aang and Sokka’s protests, he also sent for a doctor before going to a nearby table to make the two tea.

Once everyone arrived, the two told the story of how Aang fought and defeated Ozai by taking away his bending while the rest of the group took out the fleet of airships before they made it too far in their fiery rampage. It was quite the story. Looking around the table, Iroh couldn’t help but notice the different reactions each piece of information received. Almost everyone was uncomfortable that Ozai was still alive. The generals were not happy at the news that three teenagers armed with only a boomerang and sword managed to take out an entire Fire Nation fleet. The nobles listened to Aang respectfully but couldn’t help but show their disdain when Sokka talked. The members of the White Lotus present mainly seemed entertained. Master Piandao chuckled appreciately several times during Sokka’s story while Master Pakku looked pleased at the role his step-grandson and former pupil had in stopping Ozai’s genocidal plans.

Iroh listened calmly as the two boys recounted their tale but internally he marveled at what they accomplished. He believed what he said earlier about destiny being on their side today but hearing how they fulfilled that destiny was another matter.

The two teens were not looking for praise though. Instead they wanted answers about how to get their comrades back from Wulong and finding out about what had happened in Capital City as soon as possible.

Unfortunately answers were not quick to come. The White Lotus may have taken the city but they had no real authority. Without the Earth King, no one was truly in charge and random people kept showing up to add their views on the issues. It took two hours of arguing before a plan was agreed on for sending nearby stationed airships to evacuate the group left behind at Wulong. Aang and Sokka stayed behind so they could be part of another hours argument over what to do about Ozai, who was still chained up in the airship sitting out in the garden. The generals were concerned about the political repercussions of taking custody of a deposed foreign leader without the Earth King’s approval. Master Piandao pointed out that leaving him chained up in an airship wasn’t a long term solution, but his argument was lost among mutterings about how as a Fire Nation citizen he shouldn’t be one to decide. One of the nobles, who Iroh gathered used to be the deputy minister of something the sounded made up, casually suggested executing him for his crimes now, earning a very pointed glare from the Avatar at the other end of the table.

Just when a decision seemed likely, a few Earth Sages wandered in and set everything back a few hours. They wanted the Earth Kingdom to take custody but only if the Avatar guarded him, apparently oblivious to the fact that the Avatar was a thirteen year old still covered in dirt and ash from his battle and looking like he was about to pass out from exhaustion. It was well after midnight and the debate still in full swing when they heard a shout from down the hall.

“Hey Twinkle Toes, where are you?”

Iroh had never been happier to hear a belligerent twelve year old in his life.

Toph and Suki appeared in the doorway, looking uninjured but just as filthy and careworn as the others. Iroh seized on the interruption to call a break in the meeting and ushered them all to the palace infirmary so Sokka could finally get his broken leg cast and the others could get some much needed rest. Aang protested the entire way there until Iroh pulled him aside outside the infirmary door.

“I’m just as worried as you are Aang but --”

“Katara and Zuko could need our help and we are just sitting here!”

Iroh nodded in agreement. “It is frustrating but I sent a messenger hawk earlier in the night with news of your defeat of my brother. I don’t know how long it will take to get there, but the word is out.” He continued more gently, “Your friends had faith in you even when they didn’t know where you were. Now it is time to have faith in them.”

Aang seemed to deflate a bit at that.

“Plus young Avatar, you won’t be much help to them in your condition,” Iroh said. Placing a fatherly hand on his shoulder, Iroh lightly guided him towards the infirmary door. “Get some sleep Aang and trust us to get you back to your friends as soon as we can.”

Aang closed his eyes and took a deep breath before nodding in agreement. Iroh continued to stare at the door even after Aang disappeared through it, his own exhaustion starting to catch up with him. Turning back to rejoin the meeting, he sent a silent prayer up to Agni not to make a liar out of him this day.


	5. Katara - Alone in the Dark

Katara didn’t know what time it was but knew her time would be better spend sleeping. She also knew that wasn’t going to happen.

The doors to the bedroom muted most of the sound outside, but the eerie quiet only heightened every sound she did hear. A faraway grunt from Appa, a hitch in Zuko’s breathing, the scurrying of a micevole on the windowsill outside.... it all put her on edge. Propped with her back against the sofa arm, she could only stare at the door while listening to Zuko’s steady breathing and try to calm her overactive thoughts.

The robe she pilfered earlier that night was three times her size, making her feel like she was drowning in the red cloth. To try and quiet the outside noise and limit the view of Zuko for any potential assassins, she pulled the heavy red drapes across the large windows. When Zuko started to shiver in the middle of the night, she pulled the red bedquilt up to his shoulders.

She was really starting to hate the color red.

Even the rise of the moon outside couldn’t calm her. Her foot twitched on the sofa nervously although her hands were still on her lap, ready to instantly call forth the water she placed around the room. Whether to harm or to heal, she didn’t know but she was ready regardless. More than anything she just wanted this night to end. She wanted the constant debate raging in her head between her optimism and fear to be over and a clear answer to be had.

 _We should have heard by now_ , a voice said in her head.

 _Not if we lost_ , said the other.

_They won. They had to of. It’s Aang’s destiny to defeat Ozai and end the war._

_You don’t even know where Aang is._

Her breath hitched at the truth of that thought. She knew Aang, she trusted him, she was even starting to think she might love him but his disappearance right before the comet scared her.

_He made it there somehow. His disappearance was him just off on an Avatar thing. Probably._

_That’s called wishful thinking._

_It’s called faith._

Katara really did believe Aang was meant to defeat the Fire Lord but sitting alone in the dark it was easy to consider doubts she would never say out loud. It wasn’t a part of herself she particularly liked. Instead she clung to the belief that he met up with the others in time to defeat Ozai and stop his rampage across the Earth Kingdom. He and Toph and Suki and Sokka were alright and back in Ba Sing Se, or somewhere else maybe, but perfectly fine.

They had to be. Because if they weren’t....

Not for the first time she wondered when her family had gotten so big. For so long her family had been her brother, and almost only her brother. Losing their mother so young, and then with their father leaving to fight in the war, the notion of family had been reduced to the two of them. They still had their father of course, and Gran Gran, but for the last three years it had mostly been Katara and Sokka, Sokka and Katara. As the only kids their age in the entire South Pole, they weren’t just siblings but also the only friend the other really had. When Aang showed up and realized the devastation of his people, it was easy to add him to their small family because he had no one else and both Katara and Sokka knew what it was like to feel alone. And somehow from there, her family just grew.

Now it was impossible to think of losing any one of them. Losing Sokka would be like losing a part of her soul, and coming so close to losing Aang showed her how much of her heart he would have taken with him. As much as Toph’s crass attitude got under her skin, Katara also couldn’t envision her life without the blind earthbender’s sass anymore. Even the recent additions to the group of Zuko and Suki found a place in her heart. Zuko was often irritable and hotheaded, but she had come to see that he also felt things with his whole being and bestowed that level of commitment to his friends too. More than anything Katara admired Suki for standing up to be a warrior in a world that typically only saw women as wives and mothers, but she also brought a decidedly kind heart to the group that raised everyone’s spirits, especially Sokka’s.

No, she couldn’t lose any of them.

Katara started from her thoughts as Zuko moaned in his sleep. Stepping over to the bed, she saw a sheen of sweat on his forehead from a building fever. Folding back the quilt, she passed another round of water over his chest wound before working on his arms and legs. Zuko stirred but didn’t wake from her administrations.

Pulling the quilt up to his shoulders again, she looked back towards the door. They needed supplies, at the very least food. If sleep wouldn’t come, the least she could do is try to find some. She hated to leave Zuko alone but the middle of the night was probably the safest time for it. Grabbing her waterskin, she unbolted the lock and stepped out into the deserted hallway.


	6. Suki - Thoughts in the Small Hours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is a lot longer than I initially anticipated but this is about the halfway point and the rest is completely outlined. As always, constructive feedback welcomed!

Only a few dim lanterns were still alight in the quiet infirmary, or at least it would be quiet if not for the loud snores of the boy lying next to her. Sokka fell asleep before the healer even finished putting his leg in a cast. Suki remained sitting next to him, exhausted at this late hour but worry keeping her awake.

Apparently she was the only one. Both Toph and Aang had been falling asleep in their chairs before Earth Kingdom attendants came and ushered Aang to another meeting and Toph to sleeping quarters. No one came to usher Suki anywhere so she stayed with Sokka, even after he became dead to the world. Sitting next to his bed, she received quite a few frowns from the last remaining healer and the guards stationed around the large room. But staying with him anchored her in a way that she really needed after today, after the last few months really.

Toph had grumbled about staying behind to guard the surrendered Fire Nation troops but Suki was practical. As a warrior, you had to go where you were most needed, even if that meant hours of essentially babysitting duty. Spirits knew she had done plenty of that as a security guard at Full Moon Bay. Part of her hoped the mundane task would give her time to put her thoughts in order; instead, her head seemed more cluttered than it had been in months.

In less than a year her world became so much bigger than her small island. Never would she had guessed that she would fall in love with the arrogant Water Tribe boy who showed up on their shores griping about how girls couldn’t fight. Nor would she had expected to have found a new kind of family that came from all four nations and seemed to fit together like puzzle pieces despite their obvious differences in culture and personality. But with that expansion had also come pain like she never knew before too.

Even though the world had been at war for her entire life, in many ways the war was always an abstract concern for Suki. Unlike Sokka and Katara, she didn’t grow up in its shadow, losing friends and family to Fire Nation raids. And she certainly wasn’t like Zuko, who grew up with constant propaganda about the justness of the war and whose own family was responsible for so much bloodshed. Within their little group she was closest to Toph, who like her, was sheltered from the effects of the war even when it seemed like no one was. Until Aang had come to their island with Zuko close behind, Kyoshi Island had been left alone by the Fire Nation. But unlike Toph, she was a warrior, trained to fight. It was strange to think that she spent most of her life training to be the best warrior possible when there was no real fighting to be done at home.

No, the war hadn't become real to her until Zuko showed up and burnt down half her village. That experience made her and her warriors want to do more. After all, if they wanted to emulate Avatar Kyoshi than assisting the current Avatar seemed fitting. Still, assisting refugees on their way to Ba Sing Se and guarding the ferry docks at Full Moon Bay highlighted how little her own people had suffered compared to others. She saw the refugees, people of all ages, who had nothing but the things they could carry and a wary kind of hope that safety could be found somewhere. Still, if she was honest with herself, the war didn't become personal for her until she and her sisters were captured.

Being captured came as a surprise to Suki even though she guessed it was a predictable risk in fighting the Fire Nation. Locked in a small underground cell, she had no problem facing off against Azula who wanted to know everything having to do with Aang and the others. Even with the constant threats and occasional beatings, she stayed strong. Only then did Azula find the way to puncture her heart. For weeks Azula and her guards wouldn’t lay a hand on her, but instead watched her as the other Kyoshi Warriors in the surrounding cells were beaten and burned, their screams echoing in the underground chamber. Looking smug, Azula would restart her questioning about Aang and what plans the Avatar had to defeat the Fire Nation. She still did not cooperate, though it took everything she had to stay silent. Then one day new guards came to transfer her to Boiling Rock. She had no choice but to leave her sisters behind, but she also knew that part of her never left that place.

Finding Sokka at Boiling Rock gave her new hope but didn’t completely erase the ghosts of her responsibility. She wasn’t just a Kyoshi Warrior, she was their leader. And yet here she was free while they certainly were not. In her dreams she walked along long dark hallways of closed prison cells, the voices of her sisters calling out to her. They never sounded reproachful or angry, but every morning Suki woke with a heavy heart and a new pang of guilt for her freedom. Even after she escaped from a supposedly inescapable prison, she knew the only chance for her fellow warriors was the defeat of Fire Lord Ozai and the end of the war. 

And that is what they accomplished today, right? Somehow, even seeing Ozai bound at her feet didn’t make it seem real to her.

Usually she could push these feelings down and focus on the tasks at hand but standing with Toph at Wulong Forest, hundreds of Fire Nation soldiers at their mercy, all of it came rushing back to gnaw at her. The soldiers were clearly worried with what would become of them, but had no concern for what they had already done and who they had hurt. Likewise, the Earth Kingdom soldiers who came to escort them back to Ba Sing Se seemed completely unconcerned with anything outside their own city, including what may have happened to Zuko and Katara. When Toph asked if there was news, the commander just shrugged. Their city, which spent most of the war denying that the war existed even as refugees flooded the lower ring, was free again. Beyond that the soldiers had little care for how Ozai’s defeat impacted the rest of the world, including the countless prisoners of war captured in the fighting.

But for Suki, the war would not be over until she knew every single one of her warriors was safe and free. And from where she was sitting next to a snoring Sokka, they were no closer to accomplishing that than they were before the battle.

So did that mean she had failed?

Suki gave a heavy sigh and covered her face in her hands. Going around and around in her head like this wasn’t going to accomplish her mission either. She jumped a bit in her chair as Sokka let out a particularly large snort in his sleep, bringing a small smile to her face. It had to be close to dawn by now. Usually she would be just waking up at this hour, but perhaps a few hours of sleep was the best way to finally finish this day.

Lifting herself up on the infirmary bed, she snuggled in close to Sokka. A nearby guard cleared his throat and shot her a disapproving look. But Suki didn’t care what it looked like. Closing her eyes, she briefly wondered if the same dreams would come to her again tonight. Maybe it didn’t look like she was closer to freeing her sisters, but as Suki drifted asleep she reminded herself that she was one day closer than they had been before.


	7. Katara - Plots in the Night

Walking quietly down the grand hallway, Katara realized she had no idea where she was going. They needed food and she really wanted fresh bandages for Zuko, but where the kitchen was or where she could even find medical supplies in the Fire Palace... Nope, she had no idea.

She knew it was best if no one saw her and it was the middle of the night but how empty the palace was still put her on edge. Turn after turn, hallway after hallway and she only saw a few guards and one palace servant, all of whom ignored her. Quietly opening random doors she couldn’t find anything of use, mostly more bedrooms and a few meeting rooms, all empty. One large set of doors opened to what looked like a rectangular arena, rows of seats set back from a pristine marble floor. There was nothing special about the room, but Katara still felt a chill in her bones looking at it half lit in the moonlight.

Giving up she started to head back to Zuko’s room. That’s when she heard voices for the first time in hours.

Stopping just behind a corner, Katara could hear three men talking in quieted tones. Crouching, she took a quick peek around the corner and recognized two Fire Sages and an imposing man she didn’t know in full military dress.

“And what exactly do you plan to do?” asked the military man.

“The line of succession must be upheld,” stated the older Fire Sage which Katara had spoken to earlier following the Agni Kai. “The prince –”

“The banished prince,” interrupted the military man.

“Yes,” said the Fire Sage, “be that as it may, he is still the prince and he defeated Princess Azula for the crown of Fire Lord in accordance with our laws. Until we hear otherwise, that must be respected.”

“Perhaps General Tsai has a point,” noted the younger Fire Sage. “The prince was declared an enemy of the Fire Nation. Any support for him at this time could put us in the same situation.”

“Exactly!” declared General Tsai. “It was Phoenix King Ozai who declared him a traitor. That trumps your Agni Kai rules. Prince Zuko should be arrested immediately.”

“And what if what the pair say is true and the Avatar defeated Phoenix King Ozai?”

The general frowned. “Is that what they said? Because I am not aware of anyone getting confirmation of such a feat.”

The older Fire Sage sighed. “We know the girl has been travelling with the Avatar and many suspected he would try to challenge Phoenix King Ozai before the comet –”

“But Hiro, waging a challenge is not the same thing as winning,” interjected the younger Sage. “Without news to he contrary, our duty is to Phoenix King Ozai. Perhaps the prince should be dealt with presently.”

“No,” said Sage Hiro firmly, “our duty is to the Fire Nation and the line of succession must be protected.”

Tsai smirked. “But is our Prince Zuko even part of the line of succession still? I understand wanting to uphold _tradition_ ,” he said with disdain, “but I think this is more a military matter rather than one the Sages should be deciding.”

Hiro stiffened at the implication the general was making although the younger Sage seemed unperturbed. Letting out his breath slowly, Hiro resolutely faced the general. “For now I believe this is still within the sacred duties of the Sages and for now we have decided to let the prince be.” Tipping his head, he smiled. “Besides, knowing exactly where the prince is will help us all if Ozai returns and calls for his execution. There is no harm letting him stay in his room.”

“For now,” growled Tsai.

“For now,” agreed Hiro amicably. “Don’t worry General Tsai, tomorrow is a new day. If circumstances change, the Sages will be more than happy to act against the prince.”

“And what of the Water Tribe girl?” asked Tsai.

“We have no duty to her,” said Hiro nonchalantly. “Take her if you wish.”

Katara backed away slowly from her hiding spot and turned to run back to Zuko’s room as fast and quietly as she could in her oversized robes. For once she was thankful for the empty hallways.

In front of the door was a basket. She picked it up quickly and entered the room, locking the heavy doors behind her. Looking towards the bed she noted that Zuko still slept but was more restless in his sleep than when she had left. Opening the basket she found a small tin of rice, several pieces of fruit and a flask of strong smelling tea. It wasn’t much but at least it seemed there was at least one person in the palace who wasn’t looking to arrest or kill them.

Setting the food aside, Katara sat back at Zuko’s bedside. The only light in the room came from the moon peering in a small window, the only one she hadn’t covered before. She knew dawn must be nearing but had no idea whether that was a good thing anymore.

After several minutes lost in her own thoughts, Katara became aware that Zuko had stopped fidgeting in his sleep. Looking over, she saw his eyes were open and staring at her intently. Moving to the water basin next to his bed, she silently started her healing ablations on him again.

Zuko tried to sit up but she pushed him back down on the bed. They were silent a few minutes more before he finally cleared his throat and grabbed her hand to stop her movements. “Katara, what’s going on?”

Taking a deep breath, she slowly returned the water to the basin before finally looking him in the eye.

“We have trouble.”


	8. Zuko - Enemies and Friends

Upon waking, the first thing that came to mind was that everything hurt. The second was wondering what Katara was doing in his old bedroom.

 _Wait_ , he thought to himself looking around, _what am_ I _doing in my old bedroom?_

And then the events of the previous day came crashing through his muddled brain.

Most of the room was lost to shadows but he could see Katara’s face clearly. She hadn’t noticed he was awake yet, and her face was unreadable as she stared off in the distance. But there was something there that still made him worry...

At that moment she noticed his open eyes and immediately started water healing his injuries. He didn’t fight too hard when she wouldn’t let him sit up because spirits did everything hurt. Her face didn’t change at all as she went through her movements by rote. Zuko suspected she had done the same healing patterns on him several times before.

Finally he asked what was going on. Almost immediately he wished he hadn’t.

Nothing Katara told him about what she overheard surprised him. The Fire Sages may like to think they were above politics but really they were just as cutthroat and scheming as the nobles. His family had made sure their loyalty was to the reigning Fire Lord and no one else. Knowing great grandfather’s history with Avatar Roku he understood that better now, but that didn’t help him in the meantime.

And the military.... Zuko vaguely knew of General Tsai but the truth was none of his father’s generals liked him much. During his brief return home he saw how little respect they held for him, probably still chaffing at his outburst at the war council when he was thirteen. Even if he had their respect, it was unlikely that would translate into mercy. These were the men who thought nothing of Azula’s idea of a continent-wide genocide against the Earth Kingdom and took pride in their forefather’s genocide against the Air Nomads. Zuko knew it took him awhile – too long really – to see past the indoctrination of his youth about his nation’s greatness but these were the men who knew the truth about the war all along and still didn’t object.

It was clear that his own situation was precarious; that was to be expected. But Katara....

“You should leave,” he said to her after she finished her story. Katara just gaped at him.

“Look, they will hesitate to do anything too drastic with me until they hear from Ozai. And if Ozai won...” He took a deep breath and closed his eyes at the thought. “Well then there isn’t much of a future for me anyway. But you,” he rushed on, “have no status here. They will kill you without a second thought.”

“I’m not going to just leave you here!” Katara exclaimed.

“You have to Katara,” he said gently. “I can’t protect you.”

Katara shook her head and jumped from her seat. “You can’t protect yourself either. You are still injured and need more healing. I’m not leaving you.”

Now was not the time for an argument but Zuko was still irritated with her stubbornness, partially because he knew she was right. His entire body hurt and he probably couldn’t light a candle right now, let alone defend himself against palace guards. But she was here because he had asked for her help. If they took her, it would be his fault.

“Katara,” he started.

“No.”

“You have to.”

“No.”

“For spirit’s sake, you don’t owe me anything!”

“I’m not leaving!”

The argument went whispered yells, then just silently glaring at each other, neither one willing to back down. All it accomplished was Zuko felt even more tired before. He had seen firsthand how much loyalty the group had towards each other, but even after he was accepted by them he had a hard time believing such loyalty would extend to him. But as scared as he was of having to tell the others that Katara was killed because of him, Zuko could see in her glare that she was just of scared of having to tell them that he was killed because she had left him in his weakened state. As the light of dawn started to peek through the window, he knew her chances of getting away had passed, at least for now. Finally he broke away from her glare and balled his hands into fists in his lap.

“Fine,” he huffed, “but we need a plan beyond just waiting and hoping. My luck has never worked out for the best before and I doubt it will now.”

Katara immediately jumped on his concession. She insisted on another healing session even though he doubted there was much more she could do. Afterwards she brought over a basket, explaining it had been left at the door while she was out.

She looked at the contents dubiously. “I don’t really know if it is safe.”

Pulling a moon peach from the basket, a faint smile ghosted Zuko’s lips. Bringing it to his nose to smell, for a brief moment he was lost in fond childhood memories instead of their current nightmare.

“It should be safe. I think it’s from Aina. She works in the kitchens.”

Katara just looked at him confused.

“Moon peaches don’t grow in the Fire Nation, it’s too hot here. We have to import them so they were always a bit of a special treat. Whenever I was sick as a kid, Aina would sneak a few to me to help me feel better. I know she still works here, I saw her when I was back. You know, before.” He shook his head. “She was always kind to me, I doubt she would try to kill me now.”

Katara didn’t comment but took a moon peach from the basket and started to eat. In the growing light he noticed the dark circles under her eyes as well as a weird branching pattern on his upper chest and right arm.

“Does it hurt?” she asked as he poked the strange pattern.

Zuko snorted. “Everything hurts.”

She nodded and gestured to his arm. “It will fade. Aang had the same thing for about a day after Azula...after he was hit with lightning.”

The realization that this was the second time she had been in this position hit him. He looked up but she avoided his eyes. Instead she looked around the room. “So,” she asked, “what’s our plan?”

They knew they wouldn’t be able to leave the room again unless word of Ozai’s defeat came but they had no idea when that would be. Zuko knew the chances of fighting off the palace guards were slim if they did come. Looking around he couldn’t see what more they could do besides what Katara had already set up. The heavy curtains stayed closed, with heavy armchairs and a side table in front to try and trip up anyone who tried to enter by the windows. The basins Katara had filled with water for her own defenses were also moved around the room in a pattern designed to slow anyone who entered by force.

It wasn’t much, but it was all they could do. Even though he had done little else but talk since waking, Zuko felt his eyes start to droop. Katara silently helped him lay back down. He winced from the soreness in his chest and soon felt the cool flow of healing water over his skin. He really did wish she had left when she had the chance, but there was another more childish part of him that was happy to not be alone in this dark room with even darker forces waiting for them outside. Still, it would be better if at least one of them survived. Maybe if they made it to tonight he could convince her to leave. He debated the idea halfheartedly in his head as he drifted off, pleading with the spirits for Aang to hurry up and get back here before the darkness took over once again.


	9. Toph - Walls and Rules

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized after writing this that it fit better before Aang's chapter which I had already posted. So if you are reading this on subscription, the order might be a little messed up. Sorry!

It was late by the time Toph and Suki made it to the Earth Kingdom palace. Spending hours babysitting surrendered Fire Nation soldiers was far from her idea of fun, but one look at Aang and Sokka frustrated faces when they reunited made her think it may have been the better assignment. Iroh used their arrival as an excuse to get them all taken to the infirmary. It wasn’t long before a palace attendant came to lead her to sleeping chambers. She was happy to go. It had been a long day.

Hours later sun streamed into the room as Toph blinked her eyes awake. Stretching, it took a moment before she remembered where she was and why. The Earth King’s palace. Because they had finally defeated Ozai.

That thought made her smile but the emptiness of the room left her feeling a bit hollow. Getting up she made her way to the washroom, quickly brushing her teeth and washing with the supplies left there for her the night before. She was eager to find her friends and hear any news they may have on Zuko and Katara.

She felt someone approach the room’s door before the knock sounded. A palace attendant entered and laid out a clean outfit for her, asking if she needed anything else before being dismissed. Touching the fabric Toph realized it was a courtier’s dress. Of course the fine silk and embroidery is what she would be expected to wear as a Beifong. But she was here as a master earthbender who taught the Avatar. Crinkling her nose, she retrieved her dirty clothes from the day before and put them on instead. Walking out the door, she was immediately greeted by an attendant who guided her to an “Important meeting.”

She thought that meant she would see the others, or at the very least Aang. Instead she sat down at a table with three Earth Kingdom nobles.

“Miss Beifong, my name is Peng-Li and this is Fai,” said the one immediately to her right. “We are familiar with your parents of course. We wanted to offer our congratulations for your role in defeating Fire Lord Ozai as well as offer our assistance for the future.”

“Umm, thanks.”

“It is quite impressive for someone your age to have mastered their element so proficiently,” said Fai to her left. “It is just one more thing that bestows honor to your family.”

Toph didn’t answer. She was used to people fawning over her family’s name and wealth though it hadn’t happened much since she left home.

Home.

For the months they had been traveling, she had tried not to think too much about what she had left behind. For the first time in her life she was free to be herself, but that didn’t mean she didn’t miss her home and family. Now that Ozai was defeated she would have to figure out what to do – whether to return home or go elsewhere. But she wasn’t ready to think about it quite yet, and certainly not with these losers.

And so started an hours long game where Peng-Li and Fai, and occasionally their wives and a few other nobles, would talk to her about options for her future while she begged off, asking after Aang instead. The more the day wore on, the more clear it became to Toph that no amount of rudeness would see them stray from the topic or allow her to take her leave.

By the time afternoon tea was served, she was left alone with Fai whose patience with her one word answers was clearing running out. A knock sounded before the door opened to reveal their old friend Peng-Li and a group of others Toph did not recognize.

Fai excused himself to talk with the newcomers. They left the room for the hallway but left the door slightly ajar. Thanks to her heightened hearing, Toph could hear every word.

_Idiots_ , she thought with a smirk.

“This _child_ is trying my patience”, said Fai with disdain. “How much longer do I have to keep this up?”

“Just today. We will figure something out for tomorrow. The Kyoshi girl is on a “tour” of the palace today but we set up a training demonstration at the military school for tomorrow. That should keep her busy. Perhaps we can do the same thing with one of the earthbending schools for Miss Beifong.”

“What of the Water Tribe boy?”

“He is being kept in the east wing. Tetsu put out the possibility of assistance for his tribe,” Peng-Li said chuckling. “That futile hope is keeping him occupied.”

Toph clenched her fists in her lap. Her own day of having her family’s supposed pain thrown in her face was bad enough, but this was worse. She knew how much Sokka cared about his tribe and had heard enough stories from him and Katara to know that the war had devastated the Southern Water Tribe at a level only surpassed by the Air Nomads. To offer the hope of assistance, with no intention of ever following through, simply as a political ruse was just cruel. It pitted Sokka’s deep feelings of duty and honor towards his tribe against him. Likewise, they seemed to know how to do the same with Suki. Toph didn’t know her as well as the others but she did know Suki usually put duty before anything else, and appealing to her skills as a warrior of the Earth Kingdom would likely succeed in her setting aside her concerns about Zuko and Katara, at least temporarily.

“Good. I will not be lectured to about the ways of the world by children,” said Fai. “The more we keep them separated the more it will dilute any power they may think they have. A simple conversation with any of them alone demonstrates that. And it will help bend the Avatar to see the world as it really is, without their naive voices in his ear.”

She stood up abruptly and excused herself to the bathroom. This whole day was so crazy, she just needed to collect her thoughts. Once alone behind the closed door, she paced angrily. They were the ones who took on Ozai and Azula and yet this entire day was about lily livered nobles playing on their deepest fears and desires while spirit’s knew what was happening with Zuko and Katara. The absolute nerve! And at the end of the day, her and her friends were still just kids. Sure, Zuko, Sokka and Suki were older but still considered to be children by most standards. Either they deserved respect for their role in protecting the Earth Kingdom from Ozai’s delusions of grandeur or they deserved compassion for being children of war. What they didn’t deserve was being manipulated as political pawns by the same people who spent years parroting the Dai Li’s stupid claim of “there is no war in Ba Sing Se” while the rest of the Earth Kingdom burned.

Taking a deep breath Toph stormed out of the bathroom ready to give the nobles a piece of her mind. She may be Toph Beifong of the Gaoling Beifongs but she was also the greatest earthbender in the world. She would be listened to, spirits be damned. But her resolve vanished at the strange scene before her.

“Ah young earthbender, there you are!” cried an exuberant King Bumi. He was surrounded by the nobles she had left earlier, all of whom seemed deeply uncomfortable by his presence. “Help an old man, will you?”

“Help you?” she stammered.

“Why yes! What else would you do?” Several of the nobles tried to pull him away, a few ducking as he swept out his arms, but he just continued to chortle. “An old king needs to be attended. Attend me young earthbender!” he ordered while offering out his arm and stomping his foot.

_So maybe Sweetness was right and this guy is crazy_ , she thought. As it was he sounded like he was on cactus juice. She had only met Bumi briefly a few days ago and true, at the time he seemed quirky. But she was a Beifong. And blind. Quirky or not, all her life she was the one who was attended to, not the other way around.

Still, she swallowed her shock and took his arm. What little she did know about him was that he was Aang’s friend. That automatically put him higher on her list than any of the Earth Kingdom idiots she had spent the day with so far.

They walked down the hall away from the now sputtering nobles, Bumi babbling about the lack of feasts and something about wanting to pick up a new pet while in Ba Sing Se. No one tried to stop them. He may be crazy, but he was still a minor king and as such outranked the nobles of the palace.

“Ah, this seems like a good path,” he said, turning to face a blank wall. With a slight tap of his foot, the wall bended to make a perfectly arched doorway leading to another large room. After they walked through, he bended the rock to return the wall as it was before. As soon as they were alone, his previously jocular tone mellowed, still light with humor but not as crazed as before.

“Those nobles, so unsufferable,” he said casually. “They wouldn’t even let me visit Momo!”

_What is it with this guy and Momo?_ , Toph wondered. Then she realized that might be code for Aang, who was almost certainly with Momo at that moment. Along with what she overheard before, if the Earth Kingdom nobles were also keeping members of the White Lotus from the Avatar, that was a very bad sign.

“But you are part of the White Lotus. Don’t they owe you?”

“Oh sure, they give us a certain level of respect and even slight deference. Afterall, we got their city back for them. And we’re old! It’s only polite to respect your elders. But they still make clear that our departure would be more welcomed than our presence.”

“That’s rude,” she said bluntly.

Bumi shrugged his shoulders. “It is the way of power, and there is a lot of power for people to grab right now with Ozai defeated and King Kuei missing. Of course what they do here is of no consequence for me. I already liberated my kingdom. Soon I will return to do the harder work of rebuilding the city and my people’s hearts. That is a much worthier way to spend my final years than playing politics in Ba Sing Se.”

“So what are we doing now?” she asked.

“Hmm. Liberating you, escaping myself. Who’s to say?” he chortled. They had now walked through several unconnected rooms, Bumi making doors as needed. No one could follow them so they were as off the grid as you could get in a heavily fortified and guarded palace. “By the way, is there a specific place we should liberate to?” he asked.

“The east wing,” she said immediately. “I need to find Sokka.”

“A wonderful plan,” he declared with enthusiasm. Toph noticed that their direction didn’t change even with the new destination in mind. Was he planning on taking her there all along or were they going somewhere else entirely?

She still had his arm, though she wasn’t sure why. If anyone saw them she wasn’t sure what it would quite look like, a blind girl and an elderly king walking arm in arm. Still, she didn’t feel the need to let go. She figured it was the bad influence Aang and Katara had on her after months of all their hugs.

“So young earthbender, I have heard of your skills. And I suspect successfully teaching Aang required a whole different kind of talent,” he said with a chuckle.

“Well I am the greatest earthbender in the world,” she said confidently.

He chuckled again. “I heard you think so. I myself am much too old to care about titles.”

“Scared you’d lose if we sparred?”

“Not at all. I may not care for titles but I’m always up for a good spar. But spar or not, when this is all over, I hope you would come visit Omashu. Have you ever been?”

Toph frowned. This sounded like yet another pitch for her future.

Bumi laughed when he saw her face. “Omashu was founded by the first earthbenders. I like to think that gives it a special spirit. For a gifted earthbender like yourself, I think you would appreciate it. Plus,” he said with a hint of mischief in his voice, “I would love to see your metalbending skills at work.”

Suddenly she realized that he wasn’t offering useless flattery of her skills like the nobles had, nor treating her like a fragile Beifong flower. Instead he was talking to her as one master to another, two people who appreciated the art that was earthbending. And as they walked through the palace, she could appreciate his skill. His bending had a certain level of elegance that she could admit to herself her own bending lacked. She didn’t have the finer control that he did. _At least not yet_ , she thought to herself.

For the first time that day, a genuine smile graced her face. “I think I would like that. Of course, that means finding a way to get out of here.”

“Ah yes. Palaces do make good prisons if you are not careful,” he said.

“Aang said you are a crazy genius. So any ideas on how to jailbreak a palace?”

“None at all. But it looks like he does,” he said as they exited a room into a normal hallway. At the other end of the hall, Toph recognized Sokka limping towards her with the help of a crutch.

“Snoozles!”

“I think I know a way to get to the Fire Nation,” Sokka said without preamble. “But we will need a big distraction.”

“Oh, I love distractions!” said Bumi, his cactus juice impression back on.

“I knew we could count on you King Bumi,” Sokka said with a smile.

“Well my young earthbender, I will leave you in good hands. You must find Momo! Oh, and Aang too, I suppose.”

“Any idea where they might be?”

“Nope! But when in doubt I find that lemurs like to be in open air.”

Toph smiled and gave a small respectful bow. “Thank you King Bumi for allowing me to attend you. We will find Momo.”

To her surprise, he bowed back. “You better! And Miss Master Sifu Toph Beifong, I do expect to see you in Omashu. We shall have the spar of spars! With jennamite!” And with that strange proclamation, he spun away, practically skipping down the hallway.

Sokka shook his head as he watched him go. “Crazy guy. Come on, we do need to find Aang and Suki. Let’s try the gardens. I’ll explain my latest brilliant plan on the way.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she said, a bounce in her own step as she followed him down the hallway.


	10. Aang - The Politics of Peace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After I published this chapter I wound up adding Toph's chapter before it. So the chapter before this one might be new rather than this one. Sorry!

Sometime in the early morning before Toph and Suki rejoined them, Aang decided he hated meetings. The thought repeatedly flitted in his mind before he batted it away. Being Avatar was more than just flying around the world on a sky bison and he knew this would be a big part of his job from now on. That reasoning worked for a while, but it was getting harder and harder to be so accepting of his new responsibilities as the hours went by.

By the time Iroh ushered them to the infirmary, Aang had to admit a break was a good idea. Unfortunately it didn’t last long. It was probably less than an hour before an attendant came to bring him back to the meeting, where apparently nothing was accomplished in his absence. In his exhausted state, he was having a hard time following the debate. As one of the Earth Kingdom nobles started in again about how it was unfair for Ba Sing Se to have to make these decisions, it took all of his willpower not to snap back.

Closing his eyes, he steadied his breathing to a count of twenty. Facing the table, he tried to put a bit of authority in his voice. “All of this would be easier to decide if we knew what happened with Prince Zuko in the Fire Nation. Getting information on the current situation should be our priority.”

The noble in question looked completely nonplussed at the suggestion, although a few others at the table noticeably avoided Aang’s gaze.

 _This is pointless_ , he thought to himself. _Utterly pointless. Beyond utterly pointless. The most pointless of the pointless things of the utter beyond...right?_

Abruptly he stood up. He knew from previous experience that he really didn’t do well with extreme sleep deprivation and right now he couldn’t quite remember the last time he slept. His patience was gone and his mind wasn’t too far behind. If he stayed, he would say something he would regret later.

“It’s been a long day,” he told the table. “I should really get some sleep.”

Master Pakku jumped up in agreement just as one of the other Earth Kingdom nobles started to protest. “I must agree with Avatar Aang,” Pakku said in an amicable but also definitive tone. “In fact I think everyone could use some rest. It is unlikely we will come to any decision at this hour.”

Without waiting for anyone else to agree, Pakku led Aang out the door.

Aang stumbled alongside his former teacher as they walked through the palace, not really paying attention to where Pakku was taking him. They walked in silence which seemed appropriate for the hour. Passing a window he saw that it wasn’t yet sunrise but he suspected it wasn’t too far away. Finally they reached a gilded door, which looked like every other gilded door they had passed. Walking in Aang saw Momo curled up asleep on the pillow. He wondered when that had happened.

“Aang,” said Pakku behind him quietly, “you should be careful.”

Turning he noticed that Pakku had closed the door behind him. “Careful about what?”

“It looks like the war might finally be over, but peace is a difficult thing. There are many who will be looking to promote their own interests and using you is the best way to do that.” Pakku raised an eyebrow. “I think you’ve already seen evidence of that tonight.”

Aang sighed. He realized he was swaying slightly and tried to stand straight.

“Master Pakku, the war won’t be over until we have a Fire Lord who agrees. We need to know what is happening in Caldera City.”

“I know, Aang,” he said gently, “and the White Lotus is doing everything we can to get information. General Iroh and Piandao are both using some...unconventional...contacts to learn what has happened and to spread word of Ozai’s defeat. But that takes time. As soon as we know anything, you will too.”

Aang closed his eyes but that started him swaying again.

Pakku chuckled. “You really do need to sleep. But remember what I said. Be careful about who you trust and who you rely on around here. Their interests may not be the same as yours.”

Aang nodded and bowed slightly. “Thank you Master Pakku.”

Once he left, Aang immediately walked to the bed and collapsed. As tired as he was he didn’t think sleep would come easily given the events of the day but he was wrong. He may have fallen asleep before his body fully hit the bed.

When he woke a few hours later, his whole body was shaking. It took a minute before he put together the fear he was feeling with the dreams he just had, dreams filled with fire that were like memories but definitely not his own. Nothing in his own mind was that dark.

The sun was up but still low in the sky. Aang stumbled to the washroom to finally clean off the dirt from the battle the day before. As he washed, he focused on his breathing to calm his rattled nerves. Up until now he had mainly been worried about Katara but now his thoughts drifted to Zuko. Even after battling Ozai he wondered if he really understood the cruelty that Zuko grew up with in his family.

There were no new clothes in the room so he put back on his tattered trousers and left to find the others. He hadn’t walked but twenty feet before a palace attendant stopped and directed him to yet another meeting, this one with Earth Kingdom generals. Luckily it seems that in the few hours he slept the topic had moved away from what to do with Ozai. Now it had moved on to what to do about the numerous Fire Nation troops stationed around the Earth Kingdom.

Aang listened as patiently as he could, but his frustration had to be evident. He pointed out, yet again, that knowing what had happened in the Fire Nation was key to answering the question about what to do next. The generals nodded sympathetically but didn’t advance any plan to help in that regard. After a couple hours, Aang excused himself, hoping to find Sokka to figure out how they could get back to the Fire Nation.

From afar he saw Toph as she walked into another room at the end of the long hall. Before he could call out, a palace attendant ushered him into a sitting room where a small buffet was set up. Aang realized how hungry he was, but ate quickly to avoid getting pulled into conversation with any of the other palace guests in the room. When he slipped out, there was another attendant who guided him to another meeting.

This is how the entire day went. When he asked about where any of the others were, he only got the answer that they were busy. At first he thought it was just the chaos of the war ending, but after several hours he suspected he was being kept away from his friends intentionally. The thought made him uncomfortable, but he also couldn’t think of anything he could do about it. He didn’t even know where the others were staying.

In the late afternoon he excused himself from a meeting about refugee flows, telling the group of assembled nobles and bureaucrats that he needed air. In truth, he did need the fresh air but also had nothing wise to say on the topic. There were so many things that people were looking at him to guide them, but he knew he was still just a kid who had a lot to learn. If they wanted advice on how to ride an elephant koi he could help, but what to do about the masses of refugees both in the city and throughout the countryside...that he had nothing but platitudes to offer. Pakku’s advice from early that morning rang in his ears as well. It was clear that many of the nobles wanted the refugees out of the city for their own interests, while others who made money from their presence wanted them to stay. For all the perspectives presented, Aang could only think about the crowds at Full Moon Bay, people who carried everything they owned and came to Ba Sing Se because they had nowhere else to go. He wasn’t sure that changed even with Ozai defeated.

With his head full he wandered to the garden behind the palace. Unlike the side gardens that were filled with statutes, this one had low hedges with benches set throughout. The hedges weren’t dense enough to create a maze, but they did offer a certain amount of privacy. With a sudden chitter, Momo launched off Aang’s shoulder and disappeared down one of the paths. A startled cry sounded from not far away.

Running in that direction, he nearly tripped over Suki who was lying in the middle of the path. Momo excitedly circled her shoulders and as she laughed at his antics. Aang quickly put together what had happened.

“Aang!” she cried, looking up. “Where have you been all day?”

“Meetings. Lots and lots of meetings.”

She frowned but didn’t say anything as she got up and brushed grass off her pants.

“Have you seen any of the others?” he asked.

“No, not since I was rushed out of the infirmary this morning. No one seemed to know what to do with me so I spent most of the day on the world’s longest tour of the palace. I slipped away from my minders an hour ago.”

“So you’re hiding out here?”

“I am a Kyoshi Warrior, we do not hide. I’m just...taking a break.”

Aang smiled. “Well so am I. Breaks are good. And if they can’t find me in time for another meeting, then oh well.”

She returned his smile as they sat on a nearby bench. They exchanged stories about their time at the palace in quiet voices, not wanting to give away their location to the ever-present palace attendants.

“Any news from the Fire Nation?” she asked.

“None. And no one seems eager to help.”

“Well maybe it’s time we stopped trying to ask for permission. You _are_ the Avatar. You can do whatever you want,” she replied calmly.

“Twinkletoes! You are a hard Avatar to find,” cried an exasperated voice behind them. Both of them jumped off the bench and quickly hushed Toph, who stood with her arms crossed and Sokka grinning behind her.

“Suki is right,” said Sokka. “And I think we have a plan to finally get out of here.”


	11. Sokka - Hope and a Plan

The idea was easy enough – they’d just take the same airship they (crash) landed in the palace gardens. Sokka tried to sound confident as he explained what they needed to do, but the look of disbelief on Aang’s face and Suki’s furrowed brow as they listened betrayed how crazy of a plan it really was.

At that point, he didn’t really care. He woke up way too early next to Suki in the infirmary, only to be immediately separated from her without reason. He spent hours explaining how brutally his people had suffered in the war to a bunch of Earth Kingdom nobles, who listened politely but also didn’t seem to care just how little of the Southern Water Tribe had survived a hundred years of war and raids. Talking with Toph on the way to find Aang and Suki, it was clear that her day had been just as infuriating. And on top of it all, his broken leg still throbbed. He was beyond ready to leave the walls of Ba Sing Se.

“Sokka,” Aang said slowly, “I’m not sure how we can do that. The ship is right next to the palace. I mean, it’s actually _in_ the palace gardens. The moment we try to take off the palace guards will stop us. With flying rocks.”

“I know, that’s why we need a distraction,” he replied patiently.

“What kind of distraction are we going to use?” asked Suki.

“I don’t know. I’m leaving that up to King Bumi. But I’m sure he will come up with something good.”

Silence and blank stares followed.

Toph elbowed him in the side. “Snoozles, I don’t think you explained that part.”

Sokka took a deep breath and started to explain how he had spent his day. He only got out of his “humanitarian aid” meetings thanks to Piandao who told the nobles Sokka was needed back in the infirmary for a check up. That was a pretext to getting him alone. Turned out the White Lotus was being watched and handled just as much as he was, though they were better at getting around it.

So they made small talk as Piandao pretended to lead him to the infirmary. It wasn’t until he pulled Sokka into a small room and they were alone that he got to the crux of it all. He and Iroh had used all their contacts to try and find out what happened at the Fire Palace but they had no clear information. He explained that the lack of information might be a good sign because if Zuko challenged Azula and she won, the news would be everywhere. But that was just a guess. No one would know until they went there themselves and the Earth Kingdom nobility would do everything in their power to prevent that from happening. They wanted the Avatar to remain in the Earth Kingdom under their own watchful eyes.

Hence the airship. Because it was damaged in their hasty landing and sitting on palace grounds, Piandao said it was the only airship not under direct guard. A few of Jeong Jeong’s men were already on board and would crew it. Members of the White Lotus would help in providing a distraction while they got it off the ground, but after that it would be up to them to make sure it stayed airborne. Once they cleared the city’s walls, it should be smooth flying all the way to the Fire Nation.

“How do they know when to act?” asked Suki, always the practical one.

“We leave at sunset,” Sokka replied, looking at the sky. “So soon. We just need to get on board without anyone seeing us.”

Suki nodded in agreement but Aang still looked doubtful. Sokka was surprised when it was Suki who placed a hand on Aang’s shoulder. “It’s the only way we have to get to Katara and Zuko,” she said to him softly. “It will work.”

Aang’s face morphed to one of determination. “Okay, so how do we get on board?”

* * *

Getting on board was easier than Sokka expected. Due to his cast, he was the least stealthy of the group so he took the role of being a distraction. As expected, the palace guards asked him what he was doing and kept a close eye on him as he limped along the paths in the now destroyed sculpture garden. After assuring them that he just needed some fresh air and wanted to go for a stroll, the guards soon lost interest in following him. Turns out most palace guards don’t find a teenage kid with a maximum speed of a canary sloth to be all that exciting, or that much of a threat.

With the guards’ attention occasionally on Sokka but usually more on their own conversation, Suki led Aang and Toph aboard the airship unseen and unheard. He waited until the guards were laughing particularly hard at a joke one of them made before he too slipped inside. Luckily the falling light and their own laughter hid his escape because it definitely wasn’t covert.

Limping towards the bridge, he came to an abrupt stop. Ozai was still aboard the ship, in the same place and same restraints they had left him in the day before. There were some water cups and an empty rice bowl near him so clearly he had been fed at one point, but Sokka didn’t understand why he was still there.

Ozai glanced up briefly, looking bored. “And what does the children’s gang want with me now?” he drawled.

He heard an angry hiss to his right. Turning, he realized he had been so shocked at seeing Ozai that he hadn’t noticed Suki standing guard a few feet away, arms folded tightly across her chest.

She looked at him. “Aang and Toph are on the bridge waiting for you.”

He nodded and went ahead, leaving prisoner and guard in their silence. Even if he wasn’t restrained, a non-bending Ozai was no match for Suki.

“Why is Ozai still here?” he asked when he got to the bridge.

“You were in those meetings last night,” replied Aang. “I guess they never came to a decision about what to do with him.”

Sokka rolled his eyes. “Surprise, surprise,” he muttered. “So we are just taking him with us?”

“Do you have a better idea?” asked Toph.

To be honest chucking him out of the airship as they took off sounded pretty good to him, but that thought was lost as a middle-aged man walked onto the bridge. Giving a deep bow to all of them, he turned to face Aang. “Avatar Aang, my men and I are ready to depart whenever you are. The ship will fly, though it may be slower than usual due to the damage it sustained before.”

“How long will it take to get there?” Sokka asked.

“I’m told five hours if we are lucky, but probably longer. We can’t safely run all the boilers with the crew we have and we are flying against the wind. It will be a long trip.”

Sokka scowled and opened his mouth to protest but Aang stepped in. “Thank you Naoyuki, for all your help.”

“Of course, Avatar Aang.” He reached into his robes and brought out a scroll. “Jeong Jeong wanted me to give this to you in case there are problems with the Fire Sages. It explains what happened to Ozai in his defeat and is signed by all the grand masters of the White Lotus.”

Sokka watched warily as Aang took the scroll. “Why would there be problems with the Fire Sages? If Zuko defeated Azula, shouldn’t that be the end of it?”

“In theory, yes,” replied Naoyuki. “But... well, the Fire Sages have their own agenda.” The man sighed deeply, suddenly looking much older than he had a minute ago. “Years ago, I served on the Fire Lord’s personal guard. Ever since Sozin, the Fire Lord has made sure the loyalty of the Sages rests with the throne above all else. Your friend Zuko may be part of the same family, but even as a boy he was seen as a direct challenge to those ways. He was always his mother’s son, not his father’s, viewed as too soft to lead a nation at war. I expect there will be many who would not wish to see him take the crown. Especially with a Water Tribe girl at his side.”

Sokka knew he was gaping at the man but he couldn’t stop himself. He had been so focused on whether Zuko and Katara defeated Azula that it never occurred to him that it might not be enough. “But... as long as Zuko won...”

Naoyuki gave a dark chuckle. “You are giving them too much credit. Even if it was an Agni Kai, which the Fire Sages are duty bound to uphold the result, they wouldn’t hesitate to –” He stopped talking when he saw the horrified looks on their faces, shifting his weight uncomfortably. “What I mean is politics is a strange thing. I hope it will be as simple as you suggest. But I suspect defeating Azula would just be the beginning of their battle there.”

With that the man bowed again and left the room, leaving Sokka feeling like he took all the oxygen along with him. Aang looked just as stunned staring at the closed scroll in his hand.

After a minute of silence, Toph smacked her lips together in annoyance. “Ya know, it would have been helpful if everyone clued us in on these things _before_ we decided to split up.”

“What, that we were sending Katara and Zuko into a battle they could never win?” Sokka retorted. He immediately regretted it as Aang’s head snapped up, eyes wide in horror. He bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from saying more.

“Well,” Toph said tilting her head, “that and everything else. Seems like that should have been part of the conversation a few days ago.”

Sokka took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He had been worried about Katara since they separated three days ago but somehow that worry had been pushed to the back of his mind. But beyond the newly ignited fear that returned to his gut, he realized he was angry at himself. This whole adventure started because he refused to let Katara go after Aang alone. Yet at the very end he let her go off alone with Zuko. Sure, she had grown up a lot in the past ten months and was a powerful bender, but she was still his little sister and his responsibility. If anything happened to her, it would be his fault. They needed to get to Caldera City, now.

“It’s almost sunset. Let’s just get there as soon as possible. That’s all we can do,” he told the others, careful not to look at Aang. He didn’t need the extra guilt. At that exact moment there was something that sounded like an explosion from outside. “That must be our distraction. Let’s go.”

Having something to do calmed his nerves a little. Sokka called down to the engine room to get the boilers fired up. He ordered Aang to the gangway to fend off any attacks that may come and Toph to switch places with Suki so he would have another set of eyes on the bridge. Toph grumbled something as she left but a minute later Suki was at his side.

Sokka could feel the airship struggle to get off the ground, but after a few minutes they managed to launch. He was shocked that they had that much time without anyone trying to stop them, but as the lifted above the palace he understood why. Below them stood Bumi, cackling like a mad man by the looks of it, launching the palace statuary into the air and using other rocks to blow them up. It was like his own private game of skeet. Palace guards kept trying to stop him, but Bumi threw up wall after wall, blocking their attacks and preventing anyone from getting near him. Sokka couldn’t help but laugh at the scene. In the chaos, no one noticed the giant airship launching from the garden until it was directly overhead.

With Bumi keeping them occupied, Aang easily deflected the few flying boulders that came near them. The guards at the outer wall let them pass without incident and in a matter of minutes, they were finally on their way to the Fire Nation. Now they just had several hours to go before they would get there.

Suki went to relieve Toph but came back a few minutes later. “She said she’s where she wants to be,” she said with a shrug when he asked her why. Aang returned to the bridge and the three settled into a tense but easy camaraderie, Aang in the corner playing with Momo and his air marbles, Suki next to Sokka as he steered the ship. After a bit she asked why he and Aang seemed so wound up and he told her what Naoyuki said before.

She listened while staring straight out to the horizon, back straight, chin up and her face completely unreadable. When he finished telling her about all his concerns about what they sent Katara into and what they themselves were flying towards, she turned and gave him just a hint of a smile.

“We never know what battle will hold and yet we all take the risk,” she told him. “They will do everything they can to stay alive and we will be there to help if they need it.”

 _Always the warrior_ , he thought with a chuckle.

Stepping closer she placed her hand on his shoulder. “This will all be over soon.”

He couldn’t help notice that she didn’t say everything would be alright or that Katara and Zuko would be fine. Always the warrior. After being sent to Boiling Rock and with her fellow Kyoshi Warrior sisters still imprisoned, she knew how easily things could go wrong.

He looked out the window to the dark landscape below them and the bright moon above where he directed a silent plea. _Please Yue, if you can, just look out for them. We are almost there. Just let them be okay. Just a few hours more. Let my baby sister be okay._

He didn’t notice he was still staring at the moon until Suki took one of his hands from the steering wheel and gave it a squeeze. He never explained to her what happened at the North Pole or how he almost dated the moon, but since watching that disastrous play on Ember Island she seemed to understand that there was some history there that left him sad. Coming out of his reverie, she gave him a reassuring smile that he returned as he adjusted their course based on the compass in front of them.

Suki convinced him to let her take the wheel for a while, arguing it wasn’t good for his leg to be standing for so long. He wanted to disagree, but his leg was thankful for the rest as he sat down on the floor. After all, waiting was still waiting whether he was steering or not.

They passed the next several hours the same way they had the past few months. Once they arrived on Ember Island, with the final battle so close, there seemed to be an unspoken agreement among all of them not to talk about the future beyond the comet. Now that the comet had come and gone, the taboo should have been lifted. But until they were all reunited the final battle wouldn’t truly be over. So the three of them didn’t talk about plans for next week or next month, not even about tomorrow. Instead they exchanged stories about their time in the Earth Kingdom palace, talked about things they missed from back home and filled the time with banal thoughts and observations from all their travels. Basically anything except what might be waiting for them in a few hours time.

Sokka really enjoyed these storytelling sessions. He had liked Suki since they first met on Kyoshi Island but he had to admit that until recently, he hadn’t really known that much about her. That had changed in the last two months. Now he knew that she had never known her parents and was raised by her grandmother, a no-nonsense woman who sounded a lot like Gran Gran. That she was the youngest leader of the Kyoshi Warriors in a century, and got there by waking every morning with the sun to practice since she was seven years old. That she never had siblings but considered every Kyoshi Warrior below her to be a true sister. That she loved lilies, was hopeless at origami and her favorite time of year was the autumn harvest festival because it was the only time they served the lotus cakes she could rave about for an hour.

He watched as she regaled Aang with a story about rescuing a group of turtleducks she thought had been orphaned, only to find one very angry mama turtleduck quacking outside their house the next morning. She reunited the family and her grandmother scolded her for interfering with nature, making her scrub all the cooking pots for a week. But Suki learned her lesson. She used the experience to launch an information campaign across the island to leave all turtleducks alone.

“How old were you?” Aang asked laughing.

Suki shrugged. “Six, I guess. Maybe seven.”

The boys both laughed. Aang started in with the story about Sokka’s befriending of the sabertooth moose lion cub that nearly got him killed. Suki laughed, chiding him for always seeing every cute thing in terms of meat. That got Sokka telling them of his first hunt with the tribe as a kid, where he was so excited when he saw his first tiger seal that he managed to knock himself out with his boomerang.

“I didn’t wake up til the next morning and had a headache for a week,” he said ruefully, rubbing the back of his head. “Of course Katara never let me forget it.”

Immediately Sokka cursed his thoughtlessness. All the tension returned to the room with the weight of a full grown angry sabertooth moose lion. Aang clenched his jaw and absently started playing with his air marbles again. Suki’s back straightened and she returned her gaze to the horizon. Sokka could only stare at the floor.

Suki cleared her throat and steered the conversation back to her childhood on Kyoshi Island. It didn’t lift the mood but Sokka tried half heartedly to go along. After awhile he convinced her to let him take the wheel back and steer.

Slowly the time passed and soon Sokka could see the lights of Caldera City from a distance. They were still a ways away but they immediately began to prepare. Aang went to inform Toph while Suki stood at attention next to Sokka as he directed the ship towards the island.

“I have a broken leg and don’t have my boomerang or my sword,” he said to her quietly. “You don’t have your fans. How are we supposed to fight if it comes to that?”

“We are warriors,” she replied confidently. “It’s not about weapons, it’s about the spirit and will to do what is right and what is needed. We can improvise.”

Aang rejoined them and they spent the rest of the trip in silence. As they approached the city, it was darker than one would expect. Closer to the palace, several buildings showed signs of recent fires.

There was no good place to land a huge airship. Sokka finally steered it towards a pavilion in front of the inner palace gates. A giant statute stood in the middle of the square, but he figured there was no harm in keeping up his record of destroying palace statuary.

Sure enough, the statute came down with the ship although the landing was slightly better than he had managed in Ba Sing Se. Sokka called down to the engine room asking for help in guarding Ozai. Once Naoyuki and his men arrived, the four of them exited the ship ready for battle. The head of the statute lay ten feet from them.

Aang tipped his head, looking at it. “I think that was Sozin.”

“Then it was a good landing,” Sokka said dryly. “Let’s get to the palace.”

He could tell Toph was ready to take down the palace gates but just then the gates swung open. An old man in Fire Sage robes stood before them with several guards at his side. “I am Fire Sage Hiro. What business do you have that would lead you to desecrate our royal grounds this way?”

“I am the Avatar,” Aang said stepping forward. “I defeated Fire Lord Ozai and come from a liberated Ba Sing Se. We want to know what happened to Prince Zuko and his companion from the Southern Water Tribe.”

Hiro raised an eyebrow. “What evidence do you have for these claims?”

Toph gave a shout and Naoyuki brought out Ozai, now wearing two sets of restraints, one of rock and one of metal. Ozai looked at the scene in front of him, his face one of complete loathing.

“Again,” said Aang, “what happened to Prince Zuko?”

Hiro looked beyond him to Ozai, his face unreadable. After another minute, Sokka couldn’t hold his tongue any longer.

“Where is my sister?” he demanded of the old Sage.

Still the Sage did not answer. After another painful minute he seemed to shake himself out of a daze and gave a sharp command. A young teen appeared as his side, wearing robes that were different from Hiro’s but not dissimilar. A Fire Sage trainee maybe. Finally tearing his eyes from Ozai, he met Sokka’s stare. “I would speak to the Avatar. But he will take you where you need to be.”

 _Need to be?_ thought Sokka bewilderingly. _What in the names of Tui and La does that mean?_

The boy’s eyes widened in panic as he looked at the group, but he quickly recovered and bowed to Hiro before gesturing to the others to follow. Toph was already storming after their guide, Suki calmly following. The guards didn’t move from their positions, eyeing the group as they passed. Sokka looked to Aang who gave a slight nod, then hobbled after the others as quickly as his leg would let him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only three chapters left and they should all be up much more quickly then before ;-)


	12. Katara - Palace Showdown

It took longer for the guards to come than Katara expected. The sun was high in the sky when someone knocked on the doors. The noise woke up Zuko, who struggled to sit up as Katara jumped to her feet.

Fire Sage Hiro entered, flanked by only two guards.

“Prince Zuko, I came to see how you are doing.”

“I am doing well, Sage Hiro. Is there news from the Earth Kingdom?”

Hiro pursed his lips as he took in Zuko’s appearance, but his eyes kept darting to Katara.

“There is not.”

“Can we send a messenger hawk to Ba Sing Se?” Katara piped in.

“I sent one last night,” he admitted. “If your Avatar had succeeded, we surely would have heard by now.”

“But if my father succeeded in his plans, surely you would have heard that by now too,” suggested Zuko.

“Maybe.”

“Then what could be the harm in sending another hawk to confirm?”

Hiro didn’t answer. Katara tried not to fidget but the silence in the room clung to her like a funeral shroud. Again, his eyes darted to Katara before looking back at the bed-ridden prince.

“The other reason for my visit is to see if there are not – _better_ – accommodations we could offer for your Water Tribe friend here. Certainly it cannot be comfortable to share this one room.”

His voice was pleasant but it put Katara’s nerves on edge. She heard for herself what he thought of her and had a pretty good idea what those “accommodations” would be.

“I don’t think that is necessary,” replied Zuko smoothly. “Besides, I need her attention as a healer while I recover from the Agni Kai that I won.”

Hiro made a non-committal noise but didn’t contest Zuko’s claim. He turned and for the first time since entering looked at Katara fully before facing Zuko again.

“Very well. I will leave you be,” he said. At the door, he turned briefly to look at them both. “I hope you are allowed to rest in peace.” With a slight bend of his head, he swept out the room and shut the doors quietly behind him.

Katara and Zuko let out heavy sighs. While stressful and nerve-wracking, that meeting went better than she expected. It was almost as though Hiro was on their side, but that didn’t match with what she heard. Whatever the case, Katara hoped their luck would hold.

Perhaps it was this naive hope that kept her from being fully on guard when their next visitor came.

A few hours after Hiro left there was another knock at the door, this one far more forceful. Again, Zuko forced himself to sit up and Katara stood to face their visitor.

Several guards walked in and took positions at the door, followed by another Fire Sage. Katara recognized him as the younger Sage she overheard last night and her nervousness instantly grew.

“I am Fire Sage Ryomen. I came to check on the prince,” he said with a sour note on the last word. “I heard he was injured yesterday in the courtyard.”

“Thank you Sage Ryomen, I am doing well,” Zuko replied. “I was injured when Princess Azula forfeited the Agni Kai by directly attacking a bystander, a serious breach of the rules as you know.”

“Indeed? I must have missed that part of the story.”

Katara’s heart jumped to her throat. Zuko had explained the only thing in their favor right now was the Fire Sages were sworn to uphold the outcome of the Agni Kai. If this Sage was denying that one happened or that Zuko won....

“Yes. It was quite the battle. But I’m sure the other Sages have told you.” Zuko’s voice was starting to waver. Katara suspected it had taken most of his strength to get this far. “Is there anything else you need?”

Turning to Katara for the first time since he entered the room, Ryomen smiled like a catgator just before a meal. “Yes,” he said, “I’m afraid I need to take the Water Tribe girl into custody. She is wanted for questioning on crimes against the Fire Nation committed during that half-baked rebel invasion a few months ago.”

Several guards stepped towards Katara but she didn’t move.

“That sounds serious but Master Katara is currently taking care of my injuries and I cannot be parted from her at this time,” Zuko said quickly, his voice definitely wavering now.

Ryomen’s smile broadened. “Oh don’t worry, _Prince Zuko_. We will take care of you, the way you should be taken care of. There are some things you need to answer to as well.”

More guards stepped forward to take positions around the bed. What very little color Zuko’s face had was completely gone now.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Katara said quietly.

The smile still hadn’t left Ryomen’s face. “Oh really peasant,” he said with a tilt of his head. “On whose authority?”

“Mine,” said Zuko.

“No,” Katara said forcefully, “mine.”

Pulling water from one basin she knocked down three guards with her first water whip and pushed two more back. One tried to pull a sword but she froze it in its hilt, leaving him defenseless. She pulled water from two more basins to throw a few guards against the wall, knocking one of them out. From somewhere to her left she felt the heat of fire but quickly doused it and encased that guard in ice from the chest down. Pulling water from the last basins, she created a several large spikes of ice that she sent flying to everyone still standing, stopping them just before they would have hit.

Ryomen was no longer smiling. At some point, Zuko had managed to sit up straight in his bed and held a fireball in his right hand.

“Get out,” Katara said with steely calm.

“How dare you –” 

With a flick of her wrist she redirected two of the ice spikes towards Ryomen.

“I won’t ask you again,” she said.

“She really won’t,” added Zuko.

Ryomen looked at the spikes, the guards lying on the ground and Zuko’s fireball.

“This isn’t over. You two will get what you deserve.”

Katara was about to send one of the daggers into his chest when he spun on his heels and left. The guards did the same, some of them being dragged out by their comrades.

As soon as the door closed and Katara flipped the lock, Zuko collapsed back against the pillows. His breathing was ragged and sweat dripped off his face.

“Thanks,” he huffed.

Katara didn’t answer. She pulled water from the basin near the bed and set to healing his injuries, all of which had been aggravated by their confrontation.

“That fireball was stupid,” she muttered. “You aren’t strong enough for stunts like that.”

Zuko stared at the ceiling. “They needed to know I wasn’t weak.”

Katara snorted. “You got hit by lightning by your crazy firebending sister during a once-a-century comet that boosts a firebender’s power. I think they have a pretty good idea of your physical limitations right now.”

Zuko tried to laugh but it came out more as a moan. They continued in silence as Katara spread the glowing water around his chest and Zuko tried to steady his breathing. Eventually she realized he had fallen asleep again. Pulling the covers down, she did one more pass over his whole body. At least the excess energy in his muscles she felt yesterday seemed to be gone. But she could tell the muscles were weak and Zuko would likely be sore for days. She also felt a fever coming on, probably from his overexertion. There were herbs and teas that could help, but they had no access to anything outside this room.

Stepping back and returning the healing water to the basin, she looked around the room. The only thing to show for their quick battle was water all over the floor. Pulling it up from the stones, she froze it around the door frame, creating what she hoped was one more barrier for any guards to get through. She then set about refilling the tubs around the room, creating a solid wall of ice against the door and windows before angling the full tubs in front of her sofa. There were already chairs in front of the windows, but she pushed the wooden armoire and two side tables in front of the door as well. That was all the furniture in the room except for the bed, sofa and small table that held her healing water and their last bits of food. By the time she finished, the sun had almost set. Everything was covered except the small window high above the room that provided their only light at night. Katara would have covered that too but she had no idea where to find spark rocks to light the lanterns and wasn’t about to ask Zuko to do it himself.

Now that the adrenaline had worn off, Katara realized the depth of her exhaustion. When was the last time she slept? Outside Ba Sing Se? That was three days ago but seemed like a lifetime. She wondered where the others were now. Surely they must be trying to get back to them, right?

Katara sat down heavily on the sofa, her head bowed over her hands. She was really sick of waiting. Up until now she had been waiting for rescue. She was starting to think that they were really just waiting to die.

She knew their one advantage this afternoon was the guards and Ryomen had been too arrogant to actually think they were a threat. That was no longer true. When they came back, and she knew it was only a matter of time, it would be with overwhelming force. She would fight to the end, of course, but she knew it wouldn’t be enough.

The exhaustion and reality of their plight left her feeling hollow, like someone had scooped out most of her being and just left it empty. It was an eerie feeling but it separated her from the pain and gave her the distance to think clearly. Her thoughts drifted. She thought of Aang, who she decided was still alive because she really didn’t have the headspace to consider the alternative. With a pang she realized he would blame himself for her death. And so would Sokka, because he always had it in his head that she was his responsibility no matter how often it was her taking care of him. But it wasn’t their fault; she was the one who chose this path. She sent a silent plea to the spirits to let them know that. She thought of home and her father. Oh, her father. He had nearly broken when her mother died; she hated to think how her death would add to that. She touched the pendant on her neck. _He will still have Sokka_ , she thought. _That will be enough._

“I’m so sorry Katara. I never should have dragged you into this.”

Her head snapped up and she saw Zuko watching her, his face full of remorse.

“This isn’t your fault.” She tried to put as much resolve into it as she could, but she was so tired it just sounded like resignation.

“They want me,” he whispered.

“Well they don’t seem too happy with me either,” she said dryly. “I won’t let them take you.”

“You might not have a choice.”

She didn’t answer him right away. She knew now was the time for an inspiring speech but she didn’t have it in her. She gave it a try anyway.

“We can do this. We just have to hold out as long as we can. And Zuko, you are one of the most stubborn and determined people I’ve ever met. It was really annoying when you were trying to kill us but now let’s just have it work for us, okay?”

Zuko smiled and it struck her again just how much things had changed over the last few months that she would be trying to convince Zuko to hold on just a bit longer.

“They will come back.”

“I know,” she said with a sigh. “And I’ll be ready for them.” Forcing herself up from the sofa, she rewetted and replaced the cloth on his forehead. “Now go back to sleep. You will need as much strength as possible.”

Zuko nodded faintly and closed his eyes again, leaving Katara alone again in the dark.

* * *

Sitting on the sofa to face the doors, Katara’s head jerked upright as it lolled to the side once again. Opening her eyes wide, she commanded her body to stay awake. She knew she couldn’t afford to sleep. She had no idea what time it was, only that it was night.

She jumped as a loud thud sounded against the heavy doors. There were muffled voices as well, but the doors and ice muffled them too much to understand. The noise woke up Zuko who sat up with a wince. She stood as another thud sounded, cracking the ice around the frame. She looked at Zuko, who nodded gravely. With her help he struggled into a standing position, using the bed at his side for some support. They would do what they could, no matter the odds. Stepping back and finding her center with a deep breath, Katara raised her arms, pulling all the water from the basins around the room into the air.

The doors exploded, sending shattered ice and furniture across the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this went a little dark but I figure they would be in a dark place at this time. As always, feedback is welcome!


	13. Toph - Putting Things Right

Getting through the heavy metal doors was relatively easy. Understanding the scene before her less so.

Part of her brain vaguely acknowledged the debris around the room that must have been part of a barrier directly behind the door. Katara was in front of her with her arms raised and Zuko stood stiffly next to the bed.

For a long moment Katara stood perfectly still. Then with an anguished cry, a torrent of water fell around the room. “Sokka!”

Sokka was still awkward on his crutch but managed to dash around Toph to Katara’s side in record time, pulling her to the sofa. As Toph and Suki watched frozen from the doorway, Katara wrapped her arms around Sokka’s waist like she would never let go and tried to get out the story of what happened out in between gut-wrenching sobs.

“Azula...lightning...Zuko...saved me...was shot...chained Azula...Fire Sages...wouldn’t help...guards...tried to arrest...Zuko hurt...didn’t know...Aang...Ozai....”

Toph finally turned towards Zuko, who was also watching the siblings from the bed. She could sense his weakened heartbeat and fever from across the room. At that moment Aang made his appearance at the door in a gust of wind. His heartbeat quickened in shock as he took in the full scene of an injured Zuko, sobbing Katara, and utterly trashed room.

Suki came to her senses first and stepped towards Zuko, catching him as he started to collapse against the bed. Toph followed while Suki maneuvered Zuko into a sitting position and Aang darted around the room lighting lanterns. Had they been in the dark before? Zuko briefly filled them in more coherently on what had happened since the group separated outside Ba Sing Se three days earlier.

Zuko was still watching the siblings. “I don’t think she’s slept since before the battle,” he said quietly. “The guards probably would have killed me if it wasn’t for her.” Finally shifting towards Aang, “You all are here so I assume...my father...?”

“Defeated and in custody in Ba Sing Se.”

“Custody?”

“It’s a long story Sparky and we’ll fill you in later,” interrupted Toph, placing her hand on his leg. Zuko deserved the details but she really didn’t want to go through the whole story again. “But it’s over. You get the shiny Fire Lord crown.”

Zuko just nodded as he turned back to the scene on the sofa. Toph sensed Sokka’s tears as he tried to comfort his little sister in quiet tones.

“Aang, if Ozai is defeated then I need you to tell the Fire Sages so I can be declared regent and get this war over with.”

“I already delivered a letter to them from the White Lotus about Ozai’s detention and explained to them how he was defeated. I don’t know what more we can do than that.”

One of the Sages appeared at just that moment with a middle-aged bureaucrat behind him. The Sage, who identified himself as Sage Ryomen, crinkled his nose as he looked around the room, his expression morphing into a sneer when his eyes fell on Katara. Aang straightened and headed to Katara’s side, placing a hand on her shoulder as the Sage turned back to Zuko.

“Prince Zuko, with the defeat of your father and sister, we have brought the papers and seal necessary to declare you regent until such time you can be properly coronated as Fire Lord.”

Toph pulled herself up on the other side of the bed to sit next to Zuko. Her unseeing eyes couldn’t really glare at the men as they went over the bureaucratic details but she made sure her scowl radiated the anger she was feeling. She wasn’t quite sure all that had happened here over the past few days, but it was clear from Zuko’s condition and the quiet gasping sobs still coming from Katara that these men had put her friends through hell. She didn’t like to admit it, but Sweetness was one of the strongest people she ever met and didn’t cry easily. Even sleep deprived, to be left an incoherent sobbing mess meant that some serious shit had gone down while the others were in the Earth Kingdom and she wanted heads to roll for it.

At the foot of the bed Toph could tell Suki shared her quiet anger with her arms crossed tightly across her chest. Even Aang stood unnaturally still and stiff as Zuko signed and sealed orders to stand down Fire Nation units, recall troops, and send word to Ba Sing Se that yes, it was in fact all over.

The bureaucrat was shaking under the stares by the time the final orders were signed. Unfortunately the Fire Sage seemed completely unfazed by the teenagers’ wrath, even if these teenagers had just managed to end an endless war.

“Well I think that is all for now,” said the Fire Sage coolly. “Unless there is anything your majesty needs?”

“I think his majesty could use a doctor,” interrupted Toph wryly. “You seemed to have broken our healer,” she said, gesturing to Katara.

The Fire Sage bowed curtly at that and swept out of the room.

The palace physician came and checked up on Zuko. Food and tea appeared from the kitchens. Several servants tried to get the group to retire to other rooms, but Toph knew no one was ready to separate again. Katara was now sleeping in her brother’s arms with Aang resting his head and hand on her shoulder. Neither one of them were going to be letting go of her anytime soon.

“So Sparky, how about a sleepover to celebrate saving the world?”

Zuko chuckled but nodded. Despite his injuries and pain, Toph didn’t think he was ready to be alone either.

She and Suki set about cleaning the room by pushing all the broken furniture into one corner before raiding the nearby bedrooms for mattresses, bedding and spare robes. Still not leaving Katara’s side, Aang waterbended the water off the floor and the girls pushed two huge mattresses together next to Zuko’s bed. The new arrivals took turns using the washroom and finally changing into clean robes, depositing their dirty and torn clothes in a corner of the room.

When it came Sokka’s turn, Suki and Aang gently separated Katara from his waist, trying not to wake her. They nearly made it. She didn’t stir until they lowered her on the mattress. Katara sat up slowly and looked around, settling her gaze on Toph next to her on the mattress.

“What...?” she asked her sleepily.

“It’s over Sugar Queen. Everyone is okay.”

Katara didn’t move for a moment before throwing her arms around Toph in a fierce hug. She was worried Katara would start crying again but she just silently clung to her neck. Toph wasn’t one for physical affection but she found herself hugging Katara back.

“It’s okay Katara. You did good. Go back to sleep,” she said into her hair.

A few minutes later Toph felt her body start to go limp. Sokka came out just as she tried to lower his sister to the mattress again. Suki helped him lie down next to her and she instantly snuggled into his side. Toph moved to make room for Aang, who clutched Katara’s other arm like he would never let go.

After some weak protests, she and Suki moved Zuko down to the other mattress. Throwing a light blanket over him, they settled on either side of him. Once everyone was settled, it was a matter of minutes before Toph felt the others all fall asleep, finally safe and together again.

* * *

Toph woke to footsteps that paused just inside the broken doors to the room. After a brief moment, they quietly walked over to where she, Suki and Zuko lay. She smiled when she recognized them as Iroh’s.

Iroh bent down and lightly caressed his nephew’s unruly hair. Slightly lifting her head, she smiled at their visitor.

“Did Ba Sing Se get too boring for you, or did they kick you out?”

Iroh chuckled. “Well once you stole the deposed Fire Lord from the palace, the Earth Kingdom nobles felt someone should check up on what was happening in Caldera City.”

Toph snorted quietly. “Of course they did.” After a few minutes of silence, she spoke up again. “Katara and the healers say he will be fine. He’s just a bit weak. Apparently he took some of Azula’s lightning, but not enough to kill him.”

Iroh nodded while still stroking Zuko’s hair. “He is very lucky if that is the case.”

Toph rolled on her back, going over everything that had happened over the past few days. She thought about the moment they thought Suki had been lost as an airship broke up and how close she herself had been to falling to her death. Aang’s disappearance and Sokka’s broken leg. Everything that Zuko and Katara had gone through, not just in battling Azula but everything after.

Suddenly she smiled.

Iroh noticed and asked what she was smiling about. Turning her head, she whispered the revelation that was finally starting to sink in after months of planning and worry, the thing that would define the world for the next generation.

“We won.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for making it this far. There is one chapter left, an epilogue of sorts.


End file.
